Saturday, June 14, 2014

The Accidental Arrest

In a curious event, at least for the outsider, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Victims Unit (ICE SVU) arrested a number of illegal aliens, mostly Hispanic illegal aliens, but some Chinese as well, and, no, not Chinese spies or hackers, but poor slubs working for sub-minimum wage at Chinese restaurants in College Park. Although the press reported it as an immigration raid, ICE SVU was in denial mode, and participation of other agencies suggest that these are accidental, or more accurately, immigration arrests incidental to another non-immigration related criminal investigation.

STATE COLLEGE — It was just before 11 a.m. Thursday, but at a number of Asian restaurants in State College, the lunch rush never happened.

Instead, doors were locked, employees were questioned and some people were taken away by authorities.

Local, state and federal law enforcement detained at least 13 people in what U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson said is an investigation of undocumented workers...
He quickly realized that they were law enforcement vehicles, about 25 of them, from various agencies.

Twenty five agencies? And only 13 arrests. Sounds like overkill. Certainly not for a mere work-site enforcement raid. Perhaps a slavery or peonage investigation, where the "victims" will win the green card lottery.

Notice though that ICE SVU is apologetic and evasive on whether this was an immigration enforcement raid.

Investigators said the activity is part of a “targeted federal investigation,” but declined further comment. A U.S. Department of Homeland Security truck parked behind the State College Police Department. Officers from the state Attorney General’s Office joined them. A large van blocked visibility to the department’s sally port, the secured gateway where people in custody are brought in by police.

State Attorney General's office? For a work-site enforcement raid? Suspicious. But why is ICE SVU so quite about these arrests? It usually touts to the world its arrests.